


The Ground Beneath Me

by sadiembm



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Asexual Characters, Bisexual Characters, Cage Fights, Camp Half-Blood, Culture Shock, Demisexual Characters, F/F, F/M, Kidnapping, M/M, Multi, New Rome, Pansexual Character, Past Abuse, Slow Build, Undercover, Very BRIEF Percabeth, crime ring, gladiator underground, haha!, interactions with the gods, mainly Percico, mentions of Calypso/Leo, mentions of bullying, misunderstanding and miscommunication as a plot device, more things to be added, plot actual plot, ragey!Percy, reyna finding someone who isnt a hero, the gods actually attempting to hellp but still cant do much, wow plot bunnies everywhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-14
Updated: 2015-04-14
Packaged: 2018-03-22 23:24:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3747433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadiembm/pseuds/sadiembm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peace is something that never lasts long for the saviors of Olympus and the world. As the members of our merry band encounter new struggles, both in the world and within themselves, they band together and fall apart. When things feel like they should Someone goes missing, seemingly spirited away, on the trek between camps. Shit hits the fan, people seem to be disappearing out of nowhere, but when someone close to Percy suffers the same fate he goes undercover.<br/>This a story of what happens under the ground beneath you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lost In The Wrong Person

Peace is something the people at Camp Half-Blood have to get used to. It affects so many of them, that peace sounds like something foreign. Unnatural.  
Of course nothing is hardly ever Peaceful for Perseus Jackson.  
Sitting upon a grassy hill overlooking Long Island Sound, watching the waves come in and out, lapping at the sands, crawling slowly closer is Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson. The Camps Power couple. Annabeth sighs deeply, her head laid in Percy’s lap, his fingers absentmindedly brushing through her hair.  


“Let’s go to New Rome.” she says suddenly, and Percy’s hand stops moving. His body visibly stiffens. Annabeth sits up, brushing her loose golden hair away from her face. Stormy eyes clear and eager.  


“W-what?” Percy finally chokes out.  


“You and me, lets leave. Together we can go to New Rome. Get an apartment, start college, have a life together. Disappear,” she grabs Percy’s hands in hers, 

“Please, this is what we’ve always dreamed of. We can live in peace together Perce” She smiles at him and looks so happy. So unaware. Percy feels like he is going to throw up. He pales, before speaking:  


“Annabeth, that’s- that’s not why I asked you out here with me today. I wanna- Need to talk.” Percy doesn't want to meet her eyes, eyes that he has grown to love and fear, eyes that he doesn't love the same way anymore. Annabeth is obviously confused, she drops his hands and stares at him.  


“Percy, you're worrying me, what is this about?”  


“I-I don’t want to hurt you, but, a lot of things have happened recently… As you know,” He breathes and she nods slowly, “I have found out a lot of things about myself too, well, more like accepted. And- and I don’t… Annabeth I do love you, just…. Just not in the way I thought I did.” He won't meet her eyes  


“What?” Her voice recoils along with her body, she visibly scoots away from him. Looking injured and betrayed, pulling away as if his words were acid.  


“I-I like someone else, I want to spend this peace, this ever brief time with them, if they would have me, and I can’t do that with you. You have all of these plans to become an architect, which I’m sure you can do, and to move to New Rome, and start a family-” He finally meets her eyes, “And I don't want that.”  


“Bu-but Percy this is our dream, we were gonna-” her voice is stressed and panicky.  


“No!” he says a bit too sharply, she flinched, and he softens his tone “That isn't my dream, that was never what I wanted, Annabeth I-I can’t leave here. This place,” he gestures around himself, at the ocean, the trees, the cabins in the distance, everything. He sighs:  


“I don’t want to leave here, it’s my home. and if he is here too-” she cuts him off.  


“HE?!” Annabeth sounds somewhere between enraged and surprised, her voice is becoming hysterical. Percy looks confused for a moment before seeing what he has revealed, he hangs his head.  


“Yes, the person I have feelings for is a guy. Anyway-”  


“You’re gay?” she sounds exasperated and angry still. Why doesn't she understand; it isn't that big of a deal. That’s not the point he is trying to make, he sighs, frustrated.  


“No,” he says calmly, as if explaining something complicated to a child. “I am Bi, But that doesn't matter- it isnt the point I’m trying to make here, Annabeth- it is that you are a wonderful person, a beautiful girl, who I have come to love…. as a sister, a friend. My best friend! There are things I don’t regret about us, but there are things I regret not telling you sooner.”  


“How long have you known?” she has a sneer on her mouth, but it doesn't look like one of disgust, more of… disappointment.  


“Since I had amnesia, probably earlier, but I didn't really realize until I got to Camp Jupiter.”  


“And you led me on?” her voice changed and so did her face, she is angry and surprised again, offended maybe.  


“No, I didnt. I have known I was Bi since then, I didn't know I didn't really love you beyond friends until we found out...” he trails off, looking conflicted and at a loss for words, Annabeth’s voice rises.  


“What?! Until we found out what?” She snaps, her grey eyes look like a hurricane when Percy finally takes a deep breath and steels himself to look at her.  


“I realized I didn't love you anymore when we found out Nico was in danger.” He deadpans. Again Annabeth recoils, she is standing now, there are tears brimming at her eyes, not one has fallen yet.  


“Is it him? Is he the person you have feelings for over me? After all of this time?” Her fists are in tight balls at her sides, she’s shaking, she has not cried yet. Percy looks down defeated.  


“Yes, well, I think so. Arg! But that isn't why this is-” he confesses. He can see Annabeth still out of his peripheral, she cuts him off with the raising of her hand..  


“Alright.” she said, her voice void of emotion. Percy looks up. Annabeth isn't looking at him, she is staring straight ahead. Tentatively Percy stands, and tries to approach her, slow and steady, as if coming towards a cornered animal.  


“Annabeth? Are you okay?” he mentally punches himself, you just dumped her you idiot of course she isnt okay. She laughs, loudly and broken.  


“No, Percy, I am not okay.” One tear.  


“I’m sorry.” Another laugh, and another tear.  


“No you aren’t. You're honest as always seaweed brain,” she sighs deeply, she still won't look at him, her breath is shaky, “I think it’s best that I leave,” she pauses, 

"Yeah, I will be leaving for New Rome in the morning-” Percy cuts her off, landing a his hands on both of her shoulders, leaning down in hopes that she will look at him, desperate. She head is to the side, and her eyes are trained on the ground.  
Another tear.  


“Annabeth, please, understand that I AM sorry, I didn't want any of this. I just- In time can we still be friends?”  


“Goodbye, Percy.” she walks away, and while Percy can’t see or hear it, he knows that she is crying.


	2. To Think Beneath The Waves

The next morning Annabeth left. Percy woke up for breakfast and only half-heartedly gazed at the Athena Table. She was gone. He tried to put on a brave face, but he was hurt- and smiles can only stay on a pained face for so long. Sitting alone at the Poseidon table he looked off into the distance, he pushed his food around. He had dumped more than half of his pancakes and bacon as offering. Finally he sees it. Nico walks up, flanked by Jason and Will Solace, a son of Apollo who has attached himself to Nico. Percys gut tightens and he drops his fork on his plate: Nico is smiling, a really genuine smile that reaches all the way up to his eyes and brightens his whole person, he is amazing, Percy thinks to himself. He thinks how he craves to be the one to make Nico smile like that. They wave as they part ways, and Jason walks past Percy and smiles. The blond cracks some joke about him being surprised Percy is up this early. Percy laughs and playfully slugs Grace in the arm, calling him four-eyes. But once Jason leaves the smile jumps off of his face.  


They don’t know yet. It seems like no one does. He stands up, not a single thing is eaten on his plate, he dumps his scraps into the offering pit, he doesn't bother to send a prayer with it. He stalks away from the pavilion, passing Chiron at the entrance, who calls after him. Percy breaks into a run. A dead sprint towards the lake.  


He doesn't notice The single person sitting at the Hades Table gaze after him. No one but Jason does.  


They find Percy at the bottom of the lake. Chiron is frustrated at the Demigods tantrum, not knowing exactly what has caused it. Not knowing that Percy broke the heart of his best friend and lost her in the process. Percy refuses to leave the lake, still fully clothed and seated at the bottom, he isn't even crying, just…. thinking. Finally everyone leaves, its almost curfew, and after some of the nasty things he said to the nyiads who came near and bugged him, everyone decided to just leave him alone. His stomach rumbled, but he didn't care. He knew he should eat something, but he just couldn’t really think about eating without wanting to throw up.  
Finally, he allowed himself to float to the surface. Once his head breached the water of the lake he noticed not everyone had left. Nico sat bundled in his aviator jacket picking at the grass by his sides. Percy was stunned and didn't want to disturb him, but had to get out. He slowly walks up onto the shore and when Nico looks up sharply, Percy’s heart skips a beat. Nico looks stunning in the moonlight, heavenly and fierce. Meekly he waves and Nico scrambles to stand:  


“What have you been doing down there this whole time? Are you alright?” Nico asks, he sounds genuinely curious but also agitated. Percy isn't sure why. The son of the sea-god shrugs his shoulders, determined not to stare at the beautiful Italian before him.  


“I don’t know, thinking...” It wasn’t a whole lie, just leaving out the parts that he was thinking about the boy in front of him, and his now ex-girlfriend and best friend. Nico cocks his head and looks…. wounded almost before saying:  


“Did you and your girlfriend have a fight or something, no one has seen her all day.” He sounds dejected, and sharp. Percy notes that Nico makes ‘your girlfriend’ sound like something disgusting. Before Percy can think about anything he blurts out:  


“I don’t have a girlfriend anymore.”  
Shit.  
Nico practically falls over, his eyes are immensely wide and his mouth is gaping open.  


“W-What?! What the hell happened? Did you and Annabeth break-up?”  


“Yeah, uh yesterday,” Percy nervously rubs the back of his neck, “hey we should head towards the cabins, it’s about curfew...” smooth move Jackson, he thinks to himself. Nico nods and turns to walk alongside him. he starts to talk again. Always asking questions, Percy muses.  


“So… why did you two break-up? I mean, like, the whole camp loved you guys, you were their… power couple?” Percy can hear Nico use the unfamiliar term and he smiles to himself, it was cute hearing Nico try and use modern terminology. Nico continues:  


“They even have a name for you guys, Percabeth.”  


“We moved in different directions, we like different things, different people...” unconsciously Percy stares down at Nico pointedly, who blushes until his whole cheeks are dusted in rosy red in the moonlight. Percy can’t help but admire the sight. Nico’s voice shakes him out of his thoughts however.  


“Percy?” he questions.  


“huh?” A+ for the Demi-god with green eyes and no vocabulary. Nico laughs, throwing his head back.  


“I said: So do you know here she is? No one has seen her, like at all.”  


“Oh… Um yeah, she left for New Rome this morning, I think.”  


“why’d she leave?” Nico asks quietly, it sounded more like he was asking himself more than someone else. Percy answered anyway.  


“I didn't love her, I don't,” He corrects himself firmly, “ I like someone else, and she wanted a new life, one where she didn't have to be Demigod or hero. She wants to be Annabeth the Architect, not Annabeth the daughter of Athena.”  


“I guess I get that, so who’s the lucky gal you have eyes for” Nico’s voice is empty as he playfully elbows Percy, his eyes look hurt, Percy almost tells him. But instead he says:  


“It’s a secret, besides I am not even sure if he likes me back,” he says as he shrugs, he stops and Nico nearly runs into him, stumbling.  


“h-hey wait! why’d you st- wait ‘He’, what?” Nico scrambles to find words and still fails to form a truly coherent sentence.  


“We’re at your cabin, dude, and, uh, yeah. That was another reason why we broke -up I think...”  


“so, wait, you’re gay”  


“no, I’m Bi, Bisexual- I like both girls and guys. Goodnight Nico, I have to try and get to my cabin before the harpies come for me.” Percy says jokingly, skating lightly over the subject while Nico just stares at him, unabashed. finally he makes claw motions with his hands and turns to leave, shoving his hands in his pockets. He makes it about 30 feet in silence before Nico calls after him:  


“Hey, are you throwing another tantrum tomorrow or do you wanna hang out?” Percy smirks and feels butterflies deep in his stomach. At least Nico doesn't hate him for being Bisexual. He calls back over his shoulder:  


“Sure.” he continues walking and never hears Nico’s door close, when he turns toward his cabin he notices that the shorter, younger boy is no longer standing on his porch.  
That night Percy dreamt of darkness and a light he was chasing endlessly. He never caught it.


	3. A Battle With More Than Just Yourself

The next morning Percy was late to breakfast. Disheveled from his tossing night, he practically ran to the pavillion, Jason and Nico waiting at their tables and Percy just making it to the breakfast bar with the rest of the not-so-early risers. A bright smiles played across Percy’s lips when he remembered that Nico and himself were supposed to hang out today. Coming to the conclusion that he was too excited to be hungry, he only grabs a bit of food, despite his stomach grumbling he dumps half of it as an offering anyway. He really hasn't had an appetite as of late. Rushing to his table and raking a hand through his unruly bedhead he realizes that he is smiling, a bit too eagerly. He shovels the small amount of food on his plate into his mouth and instantly wishes he had grabbed more, but decides that it isnt a good idea.  


After dumping his dishes he starts in a long strided, almost-too-fast-paced, not quite run-walk towards the Hades Table where Nico sits with his back to him. And as he is just about to call out he gets a face full of centaur.  


Literally.  


“Oof” Is what escapes his mouth as Chiron blocks his path with arms crossed and glare scorching.  


“Percy, what is going on with you?” he asks, probably more sternly than he had intended, as his voice is biting. Percy struggles to see around Chiron absentmindedly, and says:  


“Nothing much, why?” Chiron scoffs.  


“‘Nothing much’ and how Mister Jackson is your tantrum from yesterday ‘nothing much’?”  


“Sorry about that,” Percy makes brief eye contact and has the minor decency to look at least sort of guilty. He can’t help it, he’s excited for the first time in days, weeks maybe!  


“Sorry doesn't cut it after it happened Percy, you can’t just pick a day to throw a fit like that just because you’re the multi-time savio-” Chiron begins to rant and suddenly Percy feels very angry.  


“Annabeth and I broke-up on hard terms, and I lost my best friend along with her, she left for New Rome and probably never wants to hear from me again. I’m sorry I didn't take that all with sunshine and rainbows.” The green eyed boy snaps, “And, I never asked to be the multi-time savior of olympus, hell the world even, I never wanted that attention. I just wanted to get my mom back and meet my father, to feel normal.” Chiron is stunned for a moment.  


“I w-was unaware,” the centaur composes himself, “that gives you no excuse Percy, while things may be hard for you right now you have to set an example. You are the savior of Olympus, the world, whether you asked for it or not. Take responsibility for your title.” His voice has become soft but it still irritates Percy. He never wanted the stupid title. He was about to voice his remark again when he saw Nico get up from his spot at the Hades Table. The beautiful boy turned to look at him and smiled, waving low and quickly before something else catches the boys attention. Percy decided to nod shortly and look Chiron dead in the eyes before running off to his companion.  


“Hey, Nico!” he says cheerily as he jogs up, mentally scolding himself for being so loud so early and being too quick, too eager. The boy looks up.  


“Sup Percy, I take it no trips to the bottom of the lake this morning?” he raises an eyebrow that disappears into his hairline, beneath his bangs, ebony locks just long enough to look shaggy but short enough to not quite reach his shoulders. Percy laughs and admires before responding with his hands up in surrender.  


“Nope, guess I’m all yours today,” Percy can feel the slight burn in his cheeks.  


Wow he really just said that. But Nico throws his head back and laughs and Percy melts and he has the slightly painful smile on his face cutting through his gloom as we see how the early sun dances over Nico’s olive skin, dotted with freckles and moles that Percy wants to connect using marker so badly, and perfect teeth that peak when the music that IS Nico di Angelo’s laugh plays.  


He’s got it bad. The other’s voice cuts into his thought.  


“I was thinking we could spar first? I mean if you dont want to thats fine, i-its just that no one wants to spar with me here...” Nico trails off and looks a bit sad, almost bitter around his eyes. Percy cocks his head to the side, perhaps in hope of seeing all of Nico’s face once again. Before he can stop himself he blurts:  


“Why doesn't anyone want to spar with you here? You are an excellent swordsman, I was hoping you could help me teach someday.”  


“I’m scary.” Nico deadpans. Percy laughs, and Nico looks somewhat thrown off and angry, a dark shadowy gloom that brews in his deep brown eyes.  


“You are not scary. Like, you can be in a fight, but you as person is not scary at all” Percy clarifies with a shy smile. Nico is staring at him, before looking away, Percy can’t help the flutter in his stomach at the sight of light pink on Nico’s cheeks. But then he hears the mumbling.  


“what?” he asks.  


“u-uh, nothing! C’mon lets go.” Nico begins to step away and Percy reaches out for him, suddenly worried.  


“no, really. What did you say?” Nico turns back to look at Percy, first his eyes blazing at the hand on his shoulder, Percy immediately releases it. Nico then looks a bit surprised before steeling himself and replying without any hint of emotion in his voice and a fake smile on his face.  


“nothing, I prom-” he stops himself and looks sick for a moment, “nothing.”  


“you sure? I mean if you need to tell me something you can, or if I’m bothering you or doing something wrong or-”  


“Percy!” Nico snaps and then settles, “you’re fine. I swear. Now, c’mon I’m itching to let loose some energy. y’know?” The olive skinned boy starts walking again, and Percy stands there, totally not admiring the way Nico’s butt looks in those new skinny jeans. Percy has to shake his head when he hears Nico call from over his shoulder:  


“C’mon slowpoke!” Percy laughs before jogging past Nico with a huge smile on his face.  


“Who’s the slowpoke now! Ha!” Percy has to start sprinting when Nico actually catches up with him.  
When they arrive at the arena they both decide on rules:  


1\. No fatal blows  


2\. Allow for pause time if asked  


3\. No cheap shots  


4\. No using powers  


And lastly: 5. the loser owes the winner gummy bears  


With the rules set they had at each other. Quickly Percy remembered that Nico is a lot faster than he is. Twice since the match started had he needed to call pause to catch his breath. Nico has only had to call once. They were back at it again, Percy lunged to avoid a strike from Nico, who then brought the flat of his blade across Percy’s chest. Percy was stuck from a moment before hooking his foot behind Nicos and dragged it away from him, causing Nico to lose balance and nearly fall, Percy brought his sword down, Riptides gleaming celestial bronze blade was met by stygian black iron in a heartbeat, Nico had just managed to block, he called for a pause. Heading to a barrel full of water, pouring himself a cup and promptly dumping it on his head. Water droplets cascading from his hair onto his face and along his exposed collarbone. Percy silently cursed overlarge shirts on slim figured boys whose last names are di Angelo, and swallowed thickly, before joining the boy.  


“This is nice.” Nico sighs when Percy approaches.  


“What, losing?” Percy says with a laughing grin, Nico sticks out his tongue and Percy can't stop his eyes from staring.  


“No, idiot. This,” he says gesturing around them at the arena where campers were paired up for their sword fighting class. “Peace...” Percy’s heart skips a beat and suddenly he feels his stomach constrict, there is a solid lump in his throat when he sees how broken Nico looks, when he thinks about the past.  


“It is… y’know Nico you can talk to me, about anything man, what it was like. Y’know,” even thinking about Tartarus made Percy’s head ache and body feel like its covered in ice and on fire at the same time. He starts to fidgit.  


“Yeah, I know.”  


“I’m serious, man.”  


“Okay I get it!”  


There is a long pause where neither speaks, Percy clears his throat  


“Ready to go again?”  


“Yeah, sure.” his voice is hard, clipped and sharp, Percy can’t help the slight stabbing pain he feels in his ribs upon hearing the icy tone. He doesn't understand what he said that made Nico close up like that. He was about to ask when Nico kicks away from the table, haier still dripping wet.  


Once again they stalk to their place in the large arena.  


“okay, you read-” immediately Nico lunges, and Percy stumbles to parry. Nico is furiously jabbing and slashing at Percy, and the taller is struggling to keep his footing. Nico swipes at Percy’s feet this time and Percy manages to jump, only to land on his ankle wrong and cry out, he grits his teeth. And when he looks at Nico, its as if the boy is cloaked in shadow, not literally, but his shoulders are hunched, his body is low, and his eyes are burning through his bangs. He looks furious. Percy runs at him, and they are stuck hilt to hilt. Forehead to forehead. Percy vaguely thinks this would be pretty hot if the swords weren't in the way. Breathing against one anothers face, sweaty. The water on Nico’s hair is still dripping down his face, cool and steady. Nico is glaring when Percy opens his mouth.  


“What happened to you Nico?” he asks quietly, barely a whisper in the air.  


“What do you care?” Nico shot back, his warm, light attitude from earlier had vanished. Percy is stunned when Nico jumps back. He starts to slash aggressively, the green-eyed boy finding it, once again, very hard to block.  


“What do you care about any of it, you weren't alone! You had the love of your life, your girlfriend, your best friend! You didn't have to spill your sexuality in front of someone who hardly knew you, you aren’t out to the whole camp, and reviled because of it, on top of your suffering separating you from everyone. As if being a child of the God of the Underworld wasn't enough of a reason for people to spit at you when you walk by! You weren't shot by Cupid's arrows just to realize that everything was just as it was before, You don't have someone you can’t ever have. The whole camp LOVES YOU!” Nico was speaking harshly, shouting, Percy was stunned, in a mindless stupor of his actions, blocking and dodging, not once taking the offensive.  


He had no idea Nico felt this way.  


“What. Do. You. CARE!?” Each word punctuated by a sharp, and strong slash.  


“I- Hey! Hey man, hold on for a second.” Percy found it hard to block, look and talk all at once. He tripped once again, and the blade of Nico’s sword tore through his sleeve. He stared in shock. Nico had tried to cut him, actually harm him. Nico threw a punch at Percy, and the taller had barely dodged it. Quickly Percy focused, dragging the water on Nico’s face into his eyes. Nico shook his head and stopped for a moment, he was open. Percy hooked his knee behind the Italians and dragged upwards, Nico fell to the ground. Water finally out of his eyes. Before he could move to get up Percy sat on him. Over him, and held down Nicos sword hand. Pinning him. they were face to face once again.  


Sometimes Percy hated where his hormonal mind went in situations like these. Percy continued to press his grip and his weight against Nico’s thrashing, blushing form. Percy spoke in a quiet, calm tone.  


“Nico, I DO care. I want to be here for you, because you were for me. And I know what it is like to go through Hell without the person you love, more than you think man, just calm down for a second and listen.”  


“Get off of me!” Nico said, his voice laced with panic as he squirmed. Percy lessened his grip, and stared at Nico intensely.  


“Let me care Nico. Let me in, please,” Percy didn't even realize the pain and heartbreak evident in his voice.  


“I dont need you to care!” He spat as we shimmied away from Percy. His stare daggers, his blush fading. “You win, I’m done here.” He turned and stormed away.  


I fucked up again, Percy thought to himself as he sat on the dirt floor of the arena alone, his knees grinding in the dirt. His stare after the boy upset with him. Wishing that he could understand.


End file.
